Coming into the 2015 MLB season, people around the league expected there to be plenty of young firepower in the National League. Big names from Joc Pederson to Kris Bryant and Maikel Franco were expected to make a big impact this year and they have. However, the guy making the biggest impact in his first full major league season wasn’t included in the preseason Rookie of the Year discussion.

The National League rookie putting together the most impressive 2015 is outfielder Randal Grichuk of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Grichuk has taken on a bigger role this season than expected as teammate Matt Holliday has battled through injuries and may miss the rest of the season after re-injuring his quad. Grichuk has taken full advantage of every opportunity afforded to him.

After his game-winning home run in the 13th inning of Wednesday night’s game, Grichuk now has 13 long balls and is hitting .292 in 247 at-bats. Compare that to some of the other top rookie hitters in baseball and it’s easy to see why Grichuk should garner a lot of attention for the award by season’s end.

Bryant                        .246 BA       14 HRs         61 RBIs

Pederson                  .222 BA       21 HRs         43 RBIs

Jung-Ho Kang     .291 BA        8 HRs          35 RBIs

Franco                      .282 BA        12 HRs         44 RBIs

Grichuk                     .292 BA         13 HRs         40 RBIs

His numbers are at least comparable with all of the guys on that list, and he hasn’t gotten the same playing time as those players. Despite that, he is the only player in all of MLB with at least 13 home runs, 20 doubles and seven triples. He’s already showing his ability to hit for power and motor around the bases.

As if the Cardinals needed more young talent, they seemingly have it in Grichuk. The power-hitting outfielder has stepped up in a big way when St. Louis has needed it this season. That should be kept in mind when the National League Rookie of the Year award is decided at season’s end, as he should be included among the top two or three candidates.